Burning Red
by Blood Russian
Summary: Natasha wakes up in world that is not her own, alone and clueless of this new world, she must now fight against a new type of evil: The Undead. In order to stay alive and hopefully find a way back home she bands together with a group of survivors and figure out what is exactly going on and how it happened. In the process of saving herself, she might just save them too.
1. Chapter 1

**Burning Red**

The world came into Natasha's view slow and shaky. Her lungs hurt and it felt as if a bomb went off in her head. Her mind had become cluttered and confused as she sat up from the hard asphalt road, the sight in front her was not comforting at all. Cars were crashed and rusting all around and buildings seemed abandoned and ominous. Not to the mention the smell of burnt, rotting flesh.

Something was terribly wrong.

Already on guard, Natasha surveyed her surroundings, checking for any sign of a threat. She slowly stood, her hand settling down on her gun holster, ready to shoot if needed. Her left hand reached to touch her ear piece, activating it.

"This is Agent Romanoff, please respond." She waited, only to be met by a low crackle. It was busted.

Natasha sighed inwardly; this was going to be a problem. She began her way through the wreckage, taking in all the details. It was clear to say that something terrible had happen in the last twenty-four hours. The main problem was that she had no idea what. Her mind seemed to be suppressing the events of the day before. All she knew was that Georgia was seemingly no more.

Natasha turned the corner of the street, pausing when she heard a low moan. Her head flung up in alert and with a snap of her hand, her gun was ready to shoot. A tall, hunched over man, who seemed to be limping made his way towards Natasha. She kept her gun steady.

"Sir, please stay where you are." He didn't, only continued to make his way closer. An agitated glint surfaced in Natasha eyes. "Sir, I repeat, stay put."

He groaned again, only this time, it sounded like a snarl erupting from an animal. Natasha stepped back, never taking her eyes off him. The man lifted his head slowly, baring his rotting teeth and his ripped, burnt, flesh picked skin. Then, he began to run.

Natasha pulled the trigger, a loud crack erupted from the gun and in a second a bullet made its way through the man's skull. Walking slowly and carefully, with her gun at her side, Natasha looked over the man once more. It was strange; he had half his face eaten off and part of his throat ripped out. He should have been dead a long time ago.

Paranoia began to creep its way in, leaving her at high alert. Something was ringing, not like a phone, but the sound of something being banged against metal gates and then there was sharp shriek. And more groans and snarls. Natasha spun around, her eyes locking on to the swarm of seemingly zombiefied people. None of them looked human or alive. They began to come towards her faster, blood lust clear on their mangled faces. Natasha began firing off rounds, marking each one with a bullet in the head.

They didn't slow down; more came, taking the place of the ones who had fallen to the ground. Natasha's heart beat sped up, feeling as if a hammer was pounding in her chest. Her hands would have shaken if she wasn't trained to stay focused and calm. Her gun was running low on ammunition, each bullet that rang through the air she counted in her head. She had no time to reload. It was time to run.

Natasha ran quick and steady; the adrenaline was beginning to pump through her veins. She swung around a few times, shooting the ones who got to close for comfort. It wasn't enough. She turned another corner, only to be met by a fence. She pulled herself over with ease, she wasn't about to let small jumps be a problem. She continued through the alley way, her speed never dwindling. She could hear the sounds of their snarls and cries, if Natasha had been anyone else, the sound might have frozen her in her place.

Natasha sped out into the open road; she could hear the sound of a car engine and the loud ring of an alarm. It was a red blur, coming quick and right at her. She ducked out of the way, before it could hit her or come to a stop. The car skidded on the asphalt and halted in the road. Natasha's gun was raised high.

She moved close to the car, close enough to see in the driver's window. "Quick, get in!"

Natasha turned around briefly, she could hear the low growls in the distant, and it was either this or potentially being mangled to death. She ran around the side and flung the door open, the alarm rung in her ears. The engine rumbled loud and rings through the air. Not doing much help if they were attempting to keep a low profile from the bizarre beings.

With her gun in her hand, Natasha looked over the young man driving, dissecting every detail about him. She ran off a list in her mind. _Young, most likely early twenties, of Asian descent, possibly Korean…_

"Do you have a name? I'm Glenn." He was slightly nervous but excitement was showing too.

Natasha blinked, "I am Agent Natasha Romanoff."

"Agent? Do you work with the government?" He didn't take his eyes off the road, he didn't dare.

"Not exactly," Her mind seemed to be racing as fast as her heart. She still had no idea what was going on, it was best to play along. Find out as much as possible.

"Oh, uh, I…" He stuttered a nervous sweat ran down his brow. "How did you get caught up in that back there?"

"I was compromised; I wasn't aware of my surroundings at the time and shot made a mistake, a foolish action on my part."

"Did you have a hide out and get run out?"

"You could say that." She needed to get answers. "Where are we going?"

"Oh, a camp, we've been there for a while. We came to the city to get some supplies, we're running low." His hands shook and his speech was fast with thrill but clear.

"We?"

"Yeah, there's a little over twenty of us. There are some other guys behind us too. We've kind of banded together. It helps, somewhat."

Natasha nodded her head, a finger tapping on the barrel of her gun. She looked out the window; they were coming to a turn.

"We're almost there, quicker than usual, thanks to the car. The others shouldn't be that far behind."

They stopped after a few sharp turns and skids. Natasha could see people rushing up to the car, mostly a blond girl with a panicked face. She could hear their muffled voices through the windows."

"My sister, where's sister? Is she okay?"

"Turn that damn thing off!"

"I don't know how," it looked as if he was having the time of his life.

"Pop the hood!"

The alarms shut off abruptly, leaving a strange silence in the air. Natasha opened the door and stepped out. Everyone's eyes shifted towards her.

"Who may this be?" The older man asked, looking at her carefully.

Just as Glenn was about to speak, Natasha swiftly cut him off. "Agent Romanoff. Natasha Romanoff."

Before anyone else could get in, a white van pulled in, stealing away the attention. The young blond girl who had been crying out before is running towards another, a woman, who grips her tight and doesn't let go.

Then everything seems a bit slow, a man, dressed in a policeman uniform, (small-town cop, Natasha deducts) looks choked up as he makes his way towards everyone. The dark-haired woman and the boy with her look up, their face are full of shock and awe. The boy smiles and cries out.

"Dad! Dad!"

It's a nice moment, even Natasha can see it. Even if Stark still thinks she can't feel anything.

Surprisingly, they accept her in(Shane still looks at her wearily), a little foolish on their part Natasha thinks but then again she doesn't know the full story of what going on. It's a little while later when they're all sat together, the sun had gone down and a chill is in the air. Natasha hardly feels it through the thick material of her SHIELD uniform.

Rick Grimes is bunched up with his family, telling his story, how he got here. Natasha is still trying to wrap her head around the fact of Zombies (or Walkers as they call them), she knows enough to know that it didn't just happen overnight. It's been weeks. The explosion must have done more damage than she thought, trapped in another universe. Honestly, stranger things had happened. The attack on New York was still a fresh wound in her mind.

"Ms. Romanoff, how'd you run into Glenn?" The older man, Dale, asks.

"I ran into a Walker and mistakenly shot at him. Dozens were after me in a minute." She knows better than to tell the exact truth, she doesn't know what it will do to this world. "I ran through a few alley ways and found myself in front of his speeding car."

"Nice going, Glenn. Almost run the girl over." It comes from Amy, she laughs lightly.

"Where are you from anyway?"

"New York."

"Long way from home, isn't it?"

Natasha nods.

"Well, what are we going to do about Daryl Dixon?"

* * *

**A/N: I hope you all enjoy this first chapter and like what more is to come. If you have any thoughts or constructive criticism drop me a review or message me. If you don't like or feel like a certain character is being portrayed the right way, let me know. I want to keep everyone the same as they are in their original series as much as possible, while adding my own twist. Remember, some characters will change by the new environment or plot I throw at them. So if they seem odd, they're most likely supposed to be that way. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Burning Red**

Natasha got up out of her donated sleeping bag, stretching as she as she looked around. Her suit was gone. In place of it, there was a pair of dark blue jeans and a slightly worn out dark green v-neck shirt. She slipped them on after thoroughly checking them, all her weapons and gear were still hidden in the same spot she had placed them last night.

The sun shone brightly over the camp, shining in Natasha's eyes before she spotted Carol and Lori with a familiar black body suit on top of an ironing board. She walked up to the woman, meeting her eye, who in return smiled weakly at her.

"I got your outfit last night; I thought you'd like it clean."

Natasha continues to stare at her for a moment and Carol fidgets a little under her gaze. Natasha gives her a small smile. "Thank you."

Carol looks relived. "If you don't mind me asking, what is your...suit for?"

"It's a standard issue uniform, with a few adjustments in mind for me. Specially made for my job requirements and…lifestyle in mind, it helps."

Lori raises her eyebrows. "What kind of job did you have?"

"I worked for a special part of the government, we dealt with more sensitive matters, and this would most likely be one of them." Natasha knows she's telling too much already, she still has to be careful but she needs their trust. Or at least some of it for the time being, until she can decide what she needs to do.

"Most likely? You don't know? Could they help us?"

"I've been cut off from them, no idea where they are or what happened to them."

Lori looks disappointed and frustrated. Carol is busy scrubbing away at an old blood stain on the inside of her uniform. "I couldn't wash the outside very well, the water just rolls off. It's well made and certainly seems handy to have."

"We'll have it ready for you as soon as it dries," Lori gives her a tight smile before gathering an armful of clothes and going over to an empty clothes line.

Natasha walks up the slight up hill, going over to the car that had brought her to the camp. A few of the men were just beginning to strip it down, beginning with the most valuable assets first. Glenn looks horrified, a constant marathon of _"why, why, why…"_ streaming out of his mouth.

"Maybe we'll get to steal another one."

Shane walks over to them, his arms crossed. "So, I hear from Glenn you worked in the government."

Natasha eyes Shane, "You heard correctly, officer."

"What'd you do?"

"I worked with an agency called SHEILD."

Rick and Shane both squint in confusion, "I've never heard of it before."

"Of course you haven't, it was a classified organization. Only the highest level of personal and government knew about it. We dealt with the more…_sensitive _matters."

"Are they still up and running?" Rick asks the look on his face means all business.

To be honest, Natasha doesn't even know herself. SHEILD might not even exist in this world. "I have no idea; my only source of contact was damaged. I can no longer reach them."

Before anyone else can get another word in there's a blood -curdling scream that send a shock through all their spines and they all look around swiftly, looking for who's missing.

Another scream, followed by a young girls yell.

"Momma! Momma!"

Natasha's gun is already is her hands, loaded and ready to shoot. She runs after Rick and goes through the bushes of the woods. Two kids come out running, fear distorting their faces. Natasha isn't quite sure what she expected to find but what she does is a walker, kneeling on the ground and eating from a dead deer's the neck of a dead deer. It doesn't even notice them at first, just continues ravaging at it, tearing out its flesh and meat, devouring it in a bloody mess. It's revolting.

Then it turns towards them, hissing and growling. Before it can take another step Rick swipes it across the head. The rest of the men join in, crushing in its skull, repeatedly. Natasha stays back, watching and trying to get used to the sight of what used to be a normal human being. She keeps her gun aimed, though, never taking her eyes off it.

Its head rolls off, staring up at the sky with dull, blank eyes.

"This is the first one we've had up here; they never come this far up the mountain." Dale tells them, shock evident on his face.

_Snap_

They all still, quieting down and turning towards the direction the sound came from. Natasha aims her gone once more; until she spots the beginnings of a crossbow and for a second her mind wanders._ Clint… _No, it's not him. The man fully comes out of the woods, covered in dirt and grime.

"Son of a bitch! That's my deer! Look at it. All gnawed on by this... filthy, disease-bearing, motherless poxy bastard!"

"Calm down, son."

Natasha watches the man intently, he's rugged and dangerous looking. If this is Daryl Dixon they're in for a whole lot of problems on their hands. But of course, it's nothing she can't easily handle.

The man makes his way back to the camp, eying her and Rick for a moment, not recognizing their faces.

"Merle! Merle, I got us some squirrel."

"Daryl, hold on a second. Gotta talk to you," Shane calls him over, his face covered with dread.

"'Bout what?"

"'Bout Merle, there was a problem in Atlanta."

"He dead?" He stops moving, glancing at the others behind him before looking back at Shane.

"Not sure."

Natasha notices his facial muscles twitch and his fingers flex. He pushes out his chest and walks closer to Shane, "He either is or he ain't."

"There's no easy way to say this, so I'm just going to say it. You're bother was a danger to us all." Rick walks up to Daryl, his face is calm.

"Who are you?"

"Rick Grimes."

"Rick Grimes," Daryl spits his name out like dirt. "You got something you wanna tell me?"

"Your brother was a danger to us all, so I handcuffed him to a roof, hooked up to a piece of metal. He's still there."

Daryl turns away, rubbing a hand at his eye. His voice is shaky, "Let me properly process this, you handcuffed my brother to a roof and left him there?"

Daryl throws the string of squirrels' and runs in to tackle Rick. Shane reacts before he can reach him and slams himself into the other man stomach. Natasha moves swiftly after him, grabbing onto Daryl's left arm and twisting is behind his back. Her foot is holding down his lower back and her other hand is gripped tight on his neck, squeezing the pressure points in warning.

Daryl struggles in her hold, trying to break himself loose. His breathing is shaky and comes out in short, uneven huffs.

"This is fucking an illegal, "He growls into the dirt and tries to shake loose one more.

"Yeah, to bad I'm not a cop. Complain to someone else," Natasha tells him; her voice is as calm as ever. "Now I'm going to loosen my hold but if you try anything like that again, I'll do worse."

He grunts but doesn't try anything, so Natasha lets him lift up his head to meet Ricks.

"I'd like to have a calm discussion on this topic; do you think you can manage that?"

He doesn't answer.

"Do you think we can manage that?" He asks again, this time more persistent.

Rick meets Natasha's eyes, giving a slight nod of his head to let Daryl go. Daryl rolls over up right, glaring at the two.

"What I did was not on a whim; your brother does not work and play well with others."

"It's not Ricks fault," T-Dog, who had been standing not too far away tells him. There is a regretful look on his face. "I had the key. I dropped it."

"You couldn't pick it up?"

"Well, I dropped it down a drain."

Daryl scoffs and takes a few more uneven breaths before getting up and glaring at the man. "If this is suppose to make me feel better it don't."

"Maybe this will. I chained the door to the roof, so the Geeks couldn't get at him. With a pad lock."

"That's got to count for somethin'."

Daryl wipes at his eye again, most likely trying to keep from crying as far as Natasha can tell. "Hell with all of y'all! Tell me where is, so I can go get him."

"He'll show you, isn't that right?" It's Lori who speaks, over by the R.V., looking directly at Rick. Her face blank.

Rick looks around, at the others. "I'm going back."

Lori leaves with a tried look on her face.

It's quiet for a while and everyone disbands back into the task they were doing before. Natasha stays back, keeping an eye on Daryl. She had already changed into her SHEILD uniform and gathered her weapons. Her guns are reloaded and place in their rightful spots, she's still getting a few odd looks over her out fit.

Rick walks up from where his tent is, to join everyone else. Shane's is right behind him.

"Could you just tell me why: why would you risk your life for a douche bag like Merle Dixon?"

"Hey, choose your words more carefully." Daryl warns his crossbow in hands.

"Oh no, I did. Douche bag's what I meant." Bitterly he continues," Merle Dixon: guy wouldn't give you a glass of water if you were dyin' of thirst."

"What he would or wouldn't do doesn't interest me: _I_ can't let a man die of thirst, me: thirst, and exposure. We left him like an animal caught in a trap, that's no way for anything to die, let alone a human being."

Natasha raises a brow, this man is different. Even in a world filled with mindless, flesh-eating zombies he'd still risk it all to save one man. Extraordinary, she can't help but wonder if there is more to it.

"So, you and Daryl, that's your big plan?" Lori asks, looking at her husband with disbelief.

Rick turns to look at Glenn, pointedly, who in returns groans, "Oh, come on."

"You know the way. You've been there before, in and out no problems. You said so yourself. It's not air for me to asks, I know that. But I feel a lot better with you along, I know she would too."

"Oh yeah, that's just great. Risk three men."

"Four," IT comes from T-Dog.

"My day just gets better and better." Daryl huffs as he works on his arrows.

"You see anybody else here stepping up, to save your brother's cracker ass?"

Any other time, Natasha might have laughed. His attitude reminds her of Fury when he was in a better mood.

"Why you?"

"You wouldn't even begin to understand. You don't speak my language."

"That's four."

"That's not just four; you're putting every single person here at risk. Just know that Rick. We need every able body here."

"Seems like what you need to me is more guns."

"That's right." Glenn says, "Guns."

"What guns?"

Rick list off all the guns he had (or had). "I cleaned out the cage back at the station, before I left I dropped the back in Atlanta when I got swarmed, they're just sittin' there on the street waiting to be picked up."

"Ammo?" Shane asks, it comes out sounding slightly desperate."

"Seven hundred grams."

"You just got here, you're gonna turn around and leave?" Lori asks bewildered at the mere thought.

"I-I don't want you to go." Rick and Lori's son, Carl, tells him.

"To hell with the guns, Shane is right: Merle Dixon? He's not worth your lives, even with guns thrown in."

Rick walks over to her, "Tell me. Make me understand."

"I owe a debt, to a man I met and his little boy." She gives him a look. "Lori, if they hadn't taken me in, I would have died. It's because of them I made it back to you at all. They said they'd follow me to Atlanta. They're walking into the same trap I did if I don't warn them."

"What's stopping you?"

"The walkie-talkie in the bag I dropped. He's got the other one."

"So use the CB." Andrea tells him.

"They're crap," Shane explains.

"I have to get that talkie," He whispers to his wife before walking over to his boy.

"Okay?" He asks.

Carl nods his head.

"Well, I'm going too."

They look over at Natasha, surprised. "That's not necessary."

"Yes it is, you're low on guns, I have two and I know the area well. I'll be twice the man power."

"Really, you don't have to. We can mange." Rick tells her; both he and Shane are eyeing her carefully.

"Please, you're not the only one who owes a debt, Rick Grimes." She tells him with a grim smile. "I'll be going; I don't do well with sitting around anyway. Besides, my skill assets might just come in handy."

Natasha gets into the back of the truck with Glenn and Daryl; she stands in a corner where she can see all of them clearly. She fastens the bracelets on her wrist, checking them over.

"Hey, what are those things?" Glenn ask from up in the front. Daryl looks over too.

"They discharge high amounts of electricity. They can take out and stun even the strongest person; I've never met someone who can withstand them. It's a lot of pain to bare. You're in agony for hours."

"Oh..." He trails off, his eyes wide and slightly put off. "Do they work on Walkers?"

"I don't know, haven't tried. Let's hope so though."

Daryl honks the horn, "Come on, let's go."

They rode in relative silence for a while. The air was tense in the truck.

"He better be okay, that's my only word on the matter." Daryl warns T-Dog.

"I told you, the Geeks can't get at him. The only thing that's gonna get through that door is us."

The truck to a slow stop, "We walk from here."

They get into the building with relative ease, careful for any walkers. Daryl shoots the ones that get in there way with ease. When they get to the roof all that's left is a bloody mess, tools are knocked over everywhere and splats of blood surrounding a sawed off hand below a dangling handcuff. . .

"No! No!" Daryl cries out.

* * *

**AN: Okay, there's a lot of talking in this chapter probaly not enough action. But that will come soon, my pretty. Most likely in in the next chapter, character development will be shelling out soon, also. If you have any questions or criticism drop me a review. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Burning Red**

Tensions are high and emotions are running wild (mostly on Daryl's part) when they get there. When they reach the top of the roof their greeted only by blood splatters, dangling handcuffs, and a lone hand it, no Merle Dixon is in sight.

It's quiet for a moment before Daryl whips around and aims his crossbow at T-Dog, grunting as he does this. Natasha's ready for it, her gun is already out and trained right between his Daryl's eyes. Rick is not too far behind. Daryl is sending a death stare at T-Dog but is fully aware of the two guns currently trained on his head.

"I won't hesitate and I'm pretty sure she won't either." Rick warns. "I don't care if every Walker in the city hears it."

Daryl is torn, his face clearly showing it. He looks torn between wanting to cry or yell and fight. He puts down the crossbow and relaxes his grip, looking down at the ground.

"You gotta, uh, a do-rag or somethin'?" T-Dog hands him an old bandana. "I guess the saw blade was to dull for the handcuff." He says to them, picking up the hand by a finger and examining it.

Natasha walks over, looking over all the blood. She already knows that it was an arterial bleed and that he would need to stop to bleeding quickly. He would either have to wrap it up tight or cauterize it. "He can't be that far, he has to take care of his wound before he can actually get anywhere. He's probably still in the building."

Daryl takes the dark blue bandana, setting the severed hand onto it and wrapping it up before placing it in Glenn's backpack.

"He must've used a turnikate or his belt. If he didn't he would've lost more blood."

The group follows him into the building from another door, the only way Merle could have gotten off the roof without falling to his death.

"Merle! You in here?" They go down stairs only to stumble upon two bodies of walkers. "He had enough in him to take out these two sons of bitches. One handed."

"With the blood loss and exposure combined, it's impressive but that doesn't really mean anything. I'm surprised we haven't found him kneeled over dead yet." Not many people would even be able to make it down the stairs with all that pain. "He would have had a better chance if he had just broken his hand… Or cut off his thumb."

Daryl gives her a dirty look; she just lifts a brow at him.

"Toughest asshole I ever met, my brother. Feed him a hammer, he'd crap out nails."

"Any man can pass out from blood loss, no matter how tough he is."

"Men like that are usually the reckless ones." Natasha says as she begins to follow the blood trail. "I've had the displeasure of knowing more than a few people like that."

"Merle!" Daryl calls out again.

"We're not alone here," Rick warns him. "Remember?"

"Screw that. He could be bleedin' out, you said so yourself."

There are several lit flames on the stove in the kitchen, surrounded by dried up blood and burnt, melted skin.

"What's that burnt stuff?" Glenn asks.

"Skin..." Rick and Natasha tell him in unison.

"He used the stove to cauterize it the stump, the sheer amount of pain could have easily knocked him out, depending on his size and health." Natasha tells them, looking over the kitchen, maybe it's a lab actually. There's not much to see.

"Told you he was tough," Daryl says like an insistent child (or little brother in this case). "Nobody can kill Merle but Merle."

"Don't take that out of faith. He's lost a lot of blood."

"Yeah? Didn't stop him from bustin' out of this death trap," They follow Daryl over to the broken window.

"He left the building? Why the hell would he do that?" Glenn asks astonished.

"Why wouldn't he? He's out there alone as far as he knows." Daryl tells him.

"He's probably still in fight or flight mode. The adrenaline is most likely the only thing that's keeping him going, no telling how far he's already gotten because of it." Natasha looks out the window; only thing out there is some stairs and a bloody towel.

"He has to do what he's gotta do. Survivin' on his own."

"You call that surviving? Just wondering out in the streets, maybe passing out?" T-Dog shakes his head. "What are his odds out there?"

"It's no worse than being handcuffed and left to rot by you sorry pricks." Daryl's voice rises. "You're not so worried by some dumb dead bastard."

"What about a thousand dumb dead bastards?" Rick retorts. "Different story?"

"If you take a tally, do what you want. I'm gonna go get him."

"Daryl, wait!" Rick pushed him back.

"Get your hands off me! You can't stop me!"

"I don't blame you, he's family. I get that. I went through hell to find mine." He tells him meeting his eye. "I know exactly how you feel. He can't get far with that injury; we can help you check a few blocks around - but only if we keep a level head."

"I can do that."

"Rick is right," Natasha announces. "We need to be rational and careful about this. We can't really afford one wrong move on our part."

"Only if we get those guns first. I'm not strolling the streets of Atlanta with just my good intentions."

The rest of them all silently agree.

Glenn is smart, she honestly would have never guessed he be able to plan something out like this. Most of the people she had worked with had to be trained properly to come up with a strategy plan like this, mostly because people went in hot headed and over confident. He didn't seem the type who worked with any kind of law. Maybe something that involved constantly moving about.

"You're not doing this alone." Rick tells Glenn, not wanting to risk another life.

"I think it's a bad idea and I don't even like you much."

"It's a good idea, okay. If you just hear me out," Glenn looks at Rick, dead set on his plan. "If we go out there in a group we're slow. Drawing attention. If I'm alone, I can move fast. Look." He points to the marker drawn map on the floor. "That's the tank, five blocks from where we are now. That's the bag of guns. Here's the alley I dragged you into when we first met. That's where Daryl and I will go."

"Why me?"

"Your crossbow is quieter than his gun. While Daryl waits here in the alley, I run up the street, grab the bag."

"You got us elsewhere?" Rick asks.

"You, T-Dog and Natasha, right. You'll be in this alley here."

"Two blocks away, why?"

"I might not be able to come back the same way. Walkers might cut me off. If that happens, I won't go back to Daryl. I'll go forward instead, all the way around to that alley where you guys are. Whichever direction I go, I got you in both places to cover me. Afterwards we'll all meet back here."

"I still don't like the idea of you being out there on streets alone, you need someone right behind you." Natasha warns, it's a good plan but if he gets trapped before he can each anyone he won't have anyone to hold back the walkers. "I think I should go with you, I was a field agent, so I'm light on my feet and I know the streets like the back of my hand. I don't need to use my gun; I can handle any kind of blade pretty well."

Glenn thinks it over for a moment, his eyes looking over the make shift map as he calculated the idea. "Yeah, that might work. But are you sure you know the streets and alleys? You did say you weren't from around here."

"I was on assignment here for nearly six months, my handler made sure I knew my surroundings. It would be idiotic to go into unknown territories. Trust me, I can keep up."

"All right, new plan, Natasha will come with me and Daryl and then we'll me back up with you guys."

"Hey kid, what did you do before all this?"

"Delivered pizza. Why?"

She can almost hear Clint laugh in the back of her head. He would have liked this kid.

They make it down the stairs nice and quiet, careful of their movements. Natasha had a nice, long blade in her hand that Daryl had stashed on his person. It was a good old hunting knife, used for gutting animals. It would work perfectly in this situation.

"You got some balls for a Chinaman."

"I'm Korean."

"Whatever."

"Ready?" Glenn asks, looking back at Natasha.

"Go."

She follows after him swiftly and quietly, being careful to make sure none of the Walkers are close. They duck behind the abandoned cars to avoid being seen.

"Quickly," Natasha hisses when they reach the tank, they're both completely out in the open.

Glenn grabs the bag about to keep going before he turns back and gets the brown sheriff hat. His eyes widen. "Natasha-"

Natasha swings around at the sound of a low gurgling growl, "Go, now!" She steps forward, pushing the hunting knife up through the bottom of the Walkers chin.

"Ayudame!" A young, male voice calls out in Spanish.

Natasha goes after Glenn again, stabbing another two Geeks through the eye sockets who get too close.

"Ayudame!" _Help me, _the boys voice yells again.

They get back to the alley way only to see Daryl being beat up on the ground by another two men. They turn around.

"That's it. That's the bag, vato."

Natasha yanks the bag from Glenn's hand, pulling the strap of her shoulder.

"Hey, give that here!" The man doesn't get the chance to say more, Natasha has already side swiped him, sending him tumbling to the ground. The other one runs over to them, pushing the bat into Natasha's stomach, sending her to the ground out of breath. Glenn is also on the ground, trying to fight off the two men who are almost twice his size to keep them from getting to the bag behind Natasha.

The bald man screams, grabbing at his backside. A car engine rumbles as it nears them, "Get off me! Get off me!"

Natasha gets up, sending a foot flying into the back of one of the men. He falls out onto the side walk, still gripping his bottom. She can't move as fast, the wind is knocked out of her and she's pretty sure that a few of her ribs are badly bruised.

"Daryl! Daryl!" Glenn calls out as he's being pushed into the car that just pulled up. "Natasha!"

Daryl runs up to the fence gate, slamming his hand on his. "Come back here, you sons of bitches!"

He slams the gate shut to keep the approaching walkers out.

"Whoa, whoa. Stop it." Rick pushes Daryl off the boy.

"I'm gonna kick your nuts up in your throat!"

T-Dog is by Natasha's side with the Latino boy in a firm grip. "You alright?"

"Yeah, I just got winded."

"They took Glenn," Daryl yells. "Him and his little bastard friends! I'm gonna stomp your ass!

"Guys, we're cut off!" T-Dog points to the gate, he's right, the walkers are desperately banging against it trying to get in.

"Get to the lab!"

They make it back up as easy as they came down just with a little more pain on Natasha side.

"Those men you were with, we need to know where they went."

"I ain't telling you nothing." The boy says, wiping away some the dried blood from his lip.

"Jesus, man." T-Dog groans. "What the hell happened back there?"

"I told you, this little turd and his douche bag friends came out of nowhere and jumped me."

"You're the one who jumped me, puto, screaming about trying to find his brother like it's my damn fault."

"They took Glenn. Could have taken Merle too."

"Merle? What kind of hick name is that? I wouldn't name my dog Merle."

Daryl tries to take a swing at the boy only to be held back by Rick. "Damn it, Daryl. Back off."

Natasha sighs from annoyance and rolls her eyes. She's had enough off this; she'll just pull a page out of Clint's book. "Alright kid, you're going to tell us what you know or I'm going to let my friend here..." She finishes the rest in Spanish.

"Comprende?"

The young boy looks at her with wide, fearful eyes. He still shakes his head in disbelief, all at the same time pushing his body back into the chair, trying to get as far as possible away from her.

"No way, you wouldn't do that."

"What'd you say?" T-Dog asks her, eying them both closely.

Natasha just shakes her head, "Nothing important."

She grabs Daryl's arm, sending him a look towards Glenn's bag. He gets the gist.

"Wanna see what happened to the last guy that pissed me off?" He takes out his brother's decapitated hand, unwrapping from its bindings and throwing it into the boys lap.

The boy screams and backs into the wall. Daryl grabs him by his neck, "Start with the feet this time."

"The men you were with took out friend. All we want to do is talk to them; see if we can work something out." Rick says to the boy after pulling Daryl off of him, again.

"Fine," He reluctantly agrees.

* * *

**A/N: **Alright here it is: chapter three! Hoped you like it and it didn't make you cringe. Also if you noticed any mistakes please let me know, I kinda uploaded this in a rush. That's all folks, so let me know what you think. More is to come.


	4. Chapter 4

**Burning Red**

"Sure you're up for this?" Rick asks.

"Yeah," T-Dog answers readying his rifle and heading to his post.

"One wrong move, you get an arrow in the ass. Just so you know." Daryl threatens the kid.

"G's gonna take that arrow out of my ass and shove up your. Just so _you_ know." He retorts and Natasha has to resist the urge to roll her eyes. Even in a different universe she can't seem to escape the Clint and Stark like banter.

"G?" Rick questions.

"Guillermo. He's the man here."

"Okay then," Rick cocks his gun. "Let's go see Guillermo."

They make their way to the doors of what looks to be a rundown stone warehouse. It's a bit difficult to tell from the outside. Everything surrounding them is either in ruins or had over grown shrubs and plants blocking their full view.

The doors open slowly, letting sunlight shin into the darken place, illuminating the first figure that steps out.

"You okay, little man?" The man, presumably Guillermo, asks.

"They're gonna cut off my feet, Carnal."

The man raises a brow, "Cops do that?"

"Not him." He turns back, pointing at Daryl. "This redneck puto here and the red head. He cut off some dude's hand, man. He showed t to me."

"Shut up." Daryl barks.

"Hey, that's that vato right there, homes." Another man comes out, limping and clutching at his backside with a gun in his other hand. It's the same man from back at the alley "He shot me in the ass with an arrow."

"Chill man, chill." Guillermo waves the other man back. "This true? He wants Miguelito's feet? That's pretty sick, man."

"We were hoping more for a calm discussion." Rick tells him but the air is still tense. They don't know what these people are capable of.

"That hillbilly jumps Felipe's little cousin, beat on him, threatens to cut off his feet, Felipe gets an arrow in the ass and you want a calm discussion? You fascinate me."

"Heat of the moment. Mistakes were made on both sides."

"Who's that dude to you anyway? You don't look related." Guillermo questions Rick.

"He's one of our group, more or less. I'm sure you have a few like him." Rick says looking back towards the doors.

"You got my brother in there?" Daryl asks walking forward, his bow as ready as ever.

"Sorry, we're fresh out of white boys. But I've got Asian you interested?" Guillermo sounds like he's asking for a trade. Natasha narrows her eyes.

"I've have one of yours, you have one of mine. Sounds like an even trade."

"Don't sound even to me." This guy is sure pushing his luck. If Natasha had been on her own she would have already infiltrated the building and found Glenn, she didn't tend to like working in groups. Things tended to get messy.

"G, come on, man." Miguel says in disbelief but it comes out sounding more like a question.

"My people got attacked. Where's the compensation for their pain and suffering."

"Maybe if your people knew by now to not cause such a ruckus we wouldn't have had to take care of them."

Guillermo ignores her, "More to the point, where's my bag of guns?"

"Guns?"

"The bag Miguel saw in the street. The bag Felipe and Jorge were going back to get. That bag of guns."

"You're mistaken."

Guillermo shakes his head, "I don't think so."

"About it being yours. It's my bag of guns." Rick tells him.

"The bag was in the street. Anybody could around and say it was theirs. What's going to stop me from letting my people unload on you right here and now?"

"You could do that." Rick looks up in the direction T-dog is to let him see what he has planned. T-Dog has his gun aimed for Guillermo's head. "Or not."

Guillermo smirks, "Oye."

They look up towards the roof. Glenn is being led towards the edge by another two men with a bag over his head. Threatening to let him fall.

"I see two options, you come back with Miguel and my bag of guns, and everybody walks. Or you come back locked and loaded; we'll see which side spills more blood.

They go back to their hideout with heavy heads.

"Them guns are worth more than gold. Gold won't protect your family or put food on the table. You wanna risk all that for that kid?" Daryl asks not seeing a way for them to keep both the guns and get Glenn back. Or at least doesn't want to.

"If I knew we'd get Glenn back, I might agree. But you think that that vato across the way is just going to hand him over?"

"I think he's all talk and no walk." Natasha says getting up from her seat to meat Rick's eye. "But these are desperate times; we can't be too sure, can we?"

"You callin' G a liar?"

"Are you a part of this?" Daryl hollers at Miguel before smacking him across the head. "You want to hold onto your teeth?"

"Question is, do you trust that man's word?"

Daryl cuts him off, "No, question is what are you willing to bet on it? Could be more than them guns. Could be your life. Glenn worth that to you?"

Rick finishes loading his gun and sets it in his holster before looking back at Daryl. "What life I have I owe to him. I was nobody to Glenn, just some idiot stuck in a tank. He could have walked away, but he didn't. Neither will I."

"So you're gonna hands the gun over?" Daryl asks.

"I didn't say that. There's nothing keeping you three here. You should get out, head back to camp."

"And tell your family what?" T-Dog inquires rubbing his head like he has a headache.

"You're not going alone. What would you do if you got stuck somewhere again?" Natasha jokes as she makes sure her guns have enough rounds.

They go back, Miguel in front with the gag over his mouth and a gun pointed at his back. The warehouse is dark and crowded with men and car gear.

"I see my guns, but they're not all in the bag." G stares down at Rick.

"That's because they're not yours. I thought I mentioned that."

"Let's just shoot these fools right now, ese."It's the same one as before, arrow in the ass man. "All right? Unload on their, asses' man."

Natasha studies the men in the room carefully, there is sweat running down their brows and not just from the heat. Some of them are antsy, their fingers gripping their guns too tightly and the rest just shaking. Most of the men in the room are darting their eyes nervously around the room. Natasha mentally shakes her head. These are no gang bangers, just some big men trying to put on the allusion that they are. It's clever but not good enough for her not to notice.

"I don't think you fully appreciate the gravity of the situation."

"You have your man, I want mine." Rick pushes the boy forward.

"I'm gonna chop up you boy. Feed him to my dogs. They're the evilest nastiest man-eating bitches you ever saw." Natasha rolls her eyes, wondering if he knew how thick he was laying it on. "I picked them up from Satan at a yard sale. Are you deaf?"

"My hearing's fine. You said come locked and loaded, we're here." Rick cocks his gun and so do the rest of the men in the room. It's time to say something before it gets ugly.

"They're bluffing."

Rick doesn't take his eyes of their leader but he does incline his head slightly towards her. "What?"

The leader, Guillermo, tightens his hands into a fist and his face hardens as he throws Natasha a quick look. Before Natasha can say anything else, a small old woman comes out from the back of the room.

"Felipe! Felipe!"

"Abuela, go back with the others-now." Felipe demands turning his head to her.

"Get that old lady out of the line of fire!" Daryl shouts.

"Abuela, listen to your mijo, okay?" G tells the woman in a much gentler tone. "This is not the place to be right now."

"Mr. Gilbert," She cries. "Is having trouble breathing. He needs his asthma stuff."

"Felipe, go take care of it, okay? And take your grandmother with you!"

"Who are those people?" The old woman asks point at them as she marches towards Rick. "Don't you take him."

"Ma'am?"

"Felipe's a good boy. He have his trouble but he pull himself together. We need him here." She begs.

"Ma'ma, I'm not here to arrest your grandson."

"Then what do you want him for?"

"He's..."Ricks hesitates in order to come up with an answer."Helping us find a missing person. A fella named Glenn."

"The Asian boy?" She smiles kindly and grabs onto Rick's arm, leading him out of the room. "He's with Mr. Gilbert."

They follow her through the building and up the ways until they reach a cafeteria like room. A small group is huddled on all sides of an elderly man sitting in a chair, Glenn being one of them.

"What the hell is this?"

"An asthma attack," Glenn answers Rick not even bothering to look at him at first.  
Couldn't get his breath all of the sudden."

"I thought you were being eaten by dogs, man." T-Dog tells him dumbstruck.

Three small dogs bark from a little dog bed in the corner. Rick let outs a frustrated sigh and turns to G. "Could I have a word with you?" He backs him away from the others. "You're the dumbest son of a bitch I ever met. We walked in there ready to kill every last one of you."

"Well, I'm glad it didn't go down that way."

"If it had, that blood would be on my hands."Rick growls out.

"Mine too. We'd have fought back. Wouldn't be the first time we've had to. Protect the food, the medicine-what's left of it."

They leave the old folks home with fewer guns than they came in with. Daryl is complaining about giving them away and things only seem to get worse. The group stops in their tracks and stare in mild shock. The van was gone.

"Oh my God."

"Where's the hell's our van?"

"We left it right there. Who would take it? Glenn asks flabbergasted.

"Merle."

Daryl sighs and wipes the sweat from his brow. "He's gonna be takin' some vengeance back to camp."

"Well, we better start walking." Natasha starts heading towards the direction they came from originally. "We gotta beat the sun, it'll be dark soon."

Glenn jogs up to her side and mutters. "Maybe we'll find Merle crashed in a ditch."

"Hey, don't you be talking 'bout my brother!"

"You should learn to be quieter, Dixon. It might come in hand in the near future."

Sweat dripped down their face as they jogged up the incline to camp. It was near the dark, the sun was in its last few minutes of setting. There was only the sound of their feet hitting the road, slight panting from running out of breath, and the whisper of the wind rustling the small bushes and trees.

"How far do we have left to go?" Glenn asked between breaths.

"We should be there in a couple minutes as long as we keep at this pace." Rick pushed out.

It was the high pitched scream that broke the silence; it sent a chill up their spines. Then there was more screams, calling for help and telling people to run. Gun shots drowned out the screams before the sound started to blend together. It rang through their ears like a haunting melody.

_"Help!"_

"Oh my God." Another gunshot.

They ran at full speed the tiredness they had felt before seemed to melt away only to be replaced by the rushing of adrenaline.

"Go! Go!" T-Dog yelled urging them to move faster.

_"Get to the R.V.! Go!" _

_"Get up! Go, now!"_

The camp was a war zone.

Rick ran after his family, shooting off rounds to keep the Walkers away. Natasha shot at the Walker making a bee line towards Andrea. The other woman hadn't even noticed just stayed crouched over on the ground. Daryl's rifle fired off right next to her ear, another Walker fell to the ground only a few feet away. Natasha sends her foot flying into another Walkers stomach, knocking it over, to keep it from getting to close. She hears another growl behind her and spins around, sending a lone bullet in the head of another one. They were everywhere, chasing and clawing at people until they screamed loud enough and crumpled to the floor. It was madness.

"Natasha, to your left!"

Natasha turns quickly before sending another bullet into skull of a young looking female walker.

_"Baby! Carl!" _

"Dad!" Rick's boy came flying into his arms like a rocket. His tear-streaked face shined in the moonlight and his sobs were drowned out before anyone can hear them.

"Amy!" Andrea wailed shaking the body of her fallen sister. Hers sobs grew louder until her voice was lost and she just broke down dry sobbing.

There was nothing they do. She was gone.

* * *

**A/N: **Okay, okay. After this chapter the story will be centering a lot more around Natasha. Also, just in case any of who were left wondering why the chapters weren't directly around Natasha it's because she still doesn't know these people and she's trying to stay in the background as much as she can. But I promise this is the chapter that will start forcing her to make somewhat friends with the group in the upcoming chapters. Like the next one! (Because Darla will kill me if it takes to long.) So tell me what you think and what you like and hated and what I should definitely work on.


	5. Chapter 5

**Burning Red**

Natasha watched as they dragged the bodies into the fire pit and into the shallow graves, that Jim had apparently dug the day before. Something was different about this scene, this moment. She had seen death so many times before, the smell of decaying bodies were nothing new to her and blood splattered across the ground wasn't an odd sight. Yet somehow, something was different here.

She looked over to Andrea, who was still sitting next to the dead body of her sister. Natasha was sure that she hadn't moved all night. She felt pity for the woman.

"Are you alright?" Dale asks waking up beside her with his hat in his hands.

"Yes," She tells him, crossing her arms over her chest as she watched Daryl slam a pix axe through a man's head. He does it like it's a common occurrence; he doesn't even seem fazed by it.

Yes, there was definitely something wrong here.

The smell of burning flesh stings her nose and everyone else's. But she still goes over to help carry the body of a heavier Walker into the pit; it was the one she shot to keep it from getting Carol and her little girl. Glenn mutters quick thanks before walking back to T-Dog; he seems to still be in shock. He pauses over the body of a girl; she had been part of the group and no older than twenty-five. Glenn lets out a heavy sigh before grabbing her legs.

When he's done he freezes. He watches Morales and Daryl as they began to drag a boy of a man towards the fire pit with anger and disbelief.

"Hey, what are you guys doing?" Morales barley spares him a glance. "This is for geeks. Our people go over there."

"What's the difference?" Daryl grunts. "They're all infected."

"Our people go in that row over there." Glenn insists. "We don't burn them! We bury them."

Daryl begrudgingly dragged the body to the other side. "Reap what you sow."

"Shut up, man!"

Natasha makes her way over to Carol and Lori who are both helping keep look out. Lori looks her up and down, "Are you alright? I didn't get the chance to ask awhile ago."

"Yes, thank you. I've noticed the children are not around."

"They're fine, just a little shook up from last night." Lori looks as if she's defeated and not knowing what she should do. She goes to say more but stops and lets out a shaky breath. "I-need to go check on them."

She gets up as if to go around but stops at the commotion.

"He's bit! Jim's bit." Jacqui yells backing away from him.

Jim holds out his hands. "I'm okay. I'm okay."

"Show it to us." Daryl demands as he walks up to the panicky man with a pix axe over his shoulder.

Jim turns back to grab a shovel from the ground. He holds is defensively across his chest.

"Easy, Jim." Shane tries to get closer but Jim only backs away and raises the shovel higher.

"Grab him!" T-Dog does just as Daryl says. He pins Jim's arms behind his back forcing him to drop the shovel. "I'm okay. Really, I'm okay."

Daryl pulls up the bloody shirt to reveal the fresh bite. It's a haunting realization, something the group didn't want to believe as true. Jim is breathing heavily, his words getting slower with each breath. The others can only stare.

"I say we put a pix axe in his head and the dead girls and we can be done with it." Daryl looks at Jim and back at them, obviously thinking that the situation should have already been dealt with. No conversation needed.

"Is that what you'd want if it was you?"

"Yeah, and I thank you while you did it."

Dale shakes his head, "I hate to say it-I never thought I would but maybe Daryl's right."

"Jim's not a monster, Dale," Rick disagrees with the older man. "Or some rabid dog."

"I'm not suggesting-"

"He's sick. A sick man. We start down that road, where do we draw the line?"

"The line's pretty clear. Zero tolerance for Walkers, or them to be." Daryl hisses.

"What if we can get him help?" Rick suggests. "I heard the CDC was working on a cure."

"I heard that too. Heard a lot of things before the world went to hell." Shane says.

"What if the CDC is still up and running?"

"Man, that is a stretch right there."

"Why? If there's any government left, any structure at all, they'd protect the CDC at all cost, wouldn't they?" Rick tries to convince them. "I think it's our best shot. Shelter, protection-"

"Okay, Rick, you want those things, all right? I do too, okay? Now if they exist they're at the army base. Fort Benning."

"That's one hundred miles in the opposite direction." Lori tells him.

"That's right. But it's away from the hot zone. Now listen to me, if that place is operational, it'll be heavily armed. We'd be safe there."

"The military were on the front lines of this thing. They got over run we've all seen that. The CDC is our best choice and Jim's only chance. Natasha, you worked in the government, what would be our best option?"

"The CDC would honestly be a lot safer then Fort Benning. It was built to have the ability to keep anything they didn't want in _out_. You would need a grenade to even be able to break the windows." Natasha speaks up after much consideration.

"You go looking for aspirin; do what you need to do. Someone needs to have some balls to take care of this damn problem!" Daryl runs at Jim, swinging the pix axe up in order to hit him.

"Hey, hey!" Rick points his pistol at the back of Daryl head. A familiar scene plays out in the back of her head, a sense of déjà vu overcoming her.

"We don't kill the living."

"That's funny coming from a man who just pointed a gun to my head."

* * *

"Hey!"A hushed whisper calls from behind her.

Natasha turns back to see nothing, there's no one but a few cars. She gets up from her post. She starts to look into the back seat of one of them but the voice calls out, grabbing her attention again.

"Over here!"

Natasha looks back at the car in the very front. Rick's boy and Carol's daughter are sitting in the backseat with the windows rolled down.

"He's really bit isn't he?" Carl looks down at the ground trying to keep them from seeing his face.

Natasha purses her lips, not sure if she should be the one telling them about it. "He is but we're going to go get him help."

Sophia perks up, "Really?"

Natasha nods, "Yes, so no need to fret."

A gunshot rings through the air.

Both Sophia and Carl look at her fearfully, their eyes searching for answers. Carl is the first to figure it out. "Amy's gone."

It's a long day for everyone. They all go to the newly-dug graves and watch as they lower the bodies in. The kids and several of the adults cry, a lot of what had happened is finally fully sinking in. It's nearly evening when they actually all finally come to an agreement. Rick and Shane come back up from the woods and join them.

"I've been thinking about Rick's plan." Shane starts. "Now look, there are no guarantees wither way. I'll be the first one to admit that. I've known this man a long time, I trust his instincts. The most important thing is that we need to stay together. So those of you that agree we leave first thing in the morning. Okay?"

Morning seems to come too quick, even for Natasha who had been trained rise early. Everything is packed and the cars are all almost ready to go. Sophia walks up to her slowly, still wiping the sleep out of her eye. "Natasha, why do we have to wake up so early?"

"So that we can beat the sun," Sophia looks up at her confused. "I mean so that we can get to the CDC while it's still light out."

"Everybody listen up." Shane calls out to get their attention. "Those of you with CBs, we're gonna be on channel 40. Let's keep the chatter down, okay? Now you got a problem, don't have a CB, can't get a signal or anything at all honk your horn once."

"Mama, can Natasha ride with us?" Sophia runs up to her mother wrapping her arms around hers with a hopeful look on her face.

Carol looks over at Natasha and then back at her daughter, "There's no room, Sophia. The car is full."

"Oh..."She smiles at Natasha."Well, you can ride with us next time!"

"Alright, if that's what you want."

"Red, you're riding with me." Shane picks up one last bad and shoves it into the back of his jeep. "Let's go." _Red, _that annoying old name again.

It quiet for the most part in the beginning of their journey. Natasha kept her eyes peeled for any signs of trouble or anything that could possibly be useful to them. To be honest it looked like a normal day, if Natasha had ended up here in that explosion she'd probably have no idea what had happened.

"You- you worked in the government, right?" Shane blurted out as they drove down the long road behind the others. "Do you honestly think we have a chance at the CDC? Or is that all just one big allusion?"

Natasha paused, pondering over the question. In her world yes, that CDC would be protected no matter what. No matter the cost. When Loki attacked New York they ended up sending over a hundred SHIELD agents just in case. They wanted no chance of anything ever coming out of that building. If anything ever did it would be disastrous.

"The CDC holds some of the world's most powerful vaccines and deadliest diseases. The government would do _more_ than their best to keep anything from ever happening to that building. The CDC has the power to either save us or kill us. Let's hope it's the former." Natasha explains. "You have to go through seven levels of clearance, there's no easy way of getting in."

"What did you do exactly, anyway?"

"The same thing you do-or did, I just handled more sensitive matters, like I said before. In ways that might not be deemed ethical by some. You could say that I have a special skill set and qualifications."

"Really now? Do you have some secret deadly weapon, too?" Shane jokes and props up his arm on the back of the seat.

"Well, I have been told that I'm good with my legs."

Shane shook his head and laughed as he looked her over. "I bet you are, Red."

A loud honk from up ahead put an end to their conversation and slowly all the cars began to come to a halt. They got out of the jeep with caution, not sure of what had happened. Natasha could see Dale and Glenn getting out of the RV and heading for the front of it, where the engine was. Some of the others slowly piled out of their vehicles.

"Is everything alright?" Lori asked from the passenger side leaning out the window to get a better view.

"Yeah, don't worry. The radiator hose just blew out." Rick used his hat to help clear away some of the smoke from the engine, it hissed and rattled like a dying car.

"I told you we'd never get far on that hose. I need the one from the cube van." Dale tells Rick.

"Can you jury-rig it?"

Dale shakes his head no, "That's all it's been so far. It's more duct tape than hose and I'm out of duct tape."

"I see something up ahead," Shane looks through the binoculars again. "Gas station if we're lucky."

"How far down-" Before Natasha can finished Jacqui comes speeding out of the RV panicked and rushed.

"Y'all, Jim—it's bad. I don't think he can take anymore."

"Hey, Rick, you want to hold down the fort? I'll drive ahead; see what I can bring back?" Rick gives Shane a nod of approval before heading into the RV.

"Yeah, I'll come along too and back you up." T-Dog volunteers.

Natasha goes to keep look out at the Jeep but a familiar voice draws her attention again. "Hey, Natasha!"

She looks over at Rick and Lori's car, Carl and Sophia are both hanging out a shared window. She walks up to them, leaning on the side of the car.

"Natasha, did something happen again?" Sophia asks looking up at her. Natasha sees the old rag-doll she clutching desperately onto. Probably out of fear or anxiety.

"Nothing we can't handle. It's just some car trouble," Carl gives her an unconvinced look. "I swear."

"Can-can we get out?" Sophia asks rubbing the sweat off her forehead. "It's hot in here."

"I don't see why not. We're probably not going to be back on the road for a while." Natasha barley has time to finish before Sophia and Carl are both sliding out of the backseat.

"Hurry up, Sophia!" Carl's already halfway down the RV waving for Sophia to hurry. "You too, Natasha."

Sophia stays at Natasha's side, her hand slowly and hesitantly wrapping around her own. Sophia smiles up at her as she starts pulling her along to catch up with Carl. "Natasha, did you always live in New York before coming to here?"

The small girl catches Natasha somewhat off guard. She hadn't really been expecting to be asked that. "No, I was born in Russia."

Sophia looks at her with large curious eyes. "Does your family still live there?"

Natasha shakes her head slowly, looking straight ahead. Carl is already gone; she can hear is voice near the front. "My family died when I was a child."

"Sorry..." Sophia's hand loosens slightly and she keeps her head down with her shoulders hunched. "My dad's dead, too. He died that night you came back from the city."

Natasha isn't really sure what to say. Especially to a young girl, Sophia could be no older than twelve.

"Natasha, can I tell you something?" Her voice is almost a whisper and she looks around to make sure nobody is close enough to hear. "Is it bad that I'm glad he's gone? I mean-he was just really mean to my mama all the time. He made her sad all the time."

Natasha remembered seeing Sophia's father, Ed; even if they had only met briefly he had left a strong impression of himself. He seemed to have that same bitter look on his face that night she arrived and the next day when they left. She suspected what he was; Natasha saw the way Carol seemed to flinch around him and the way she kept her daughter from getting to close. It wasn't hard to see. And the day after they came back, when they were taking care of the bodies, Carol looked as if she had temporarily lost her sanity when she continuously slammed the pix-axe through his head. She knew for sure then.

"No, it's not bad." She keeps her voice low and holds just a little tighter onto the girls hand without really meaning to. "It's okay to feel that way."

Sophia looks back up at her. Her eyes are wide and she appears like she's on the verge of crying. "Promise?"

Natasha can feel her chest tighten almost unnaturally. "I promise."

"Sophia, there you are." Carol meets them around the RV with Carl by her side looking let down. She looks up at Natasha with a timid smile. "Sophia, honey, do you want some water?"

Just like the child she is, she bounces right back to the perky self she was before just like any child would. "Yes, please."

Carol leads them back to the car. Natasha can hear Carl mutter, "They just don't want us to know what's happening."

Natasha walks up front to meet the others. "What's going on?"

"Jim wants to be left here."

"Leaving him, I don't think I could live with that." Shane shakes his head.

"It's not your call, either one of you."

They end up leaving Jim there that day, under a shady tree up on a slight hill. Their departure is filled with bittersweet goodbyes and another realization, anyone can die. Now they're just another man weaker.

* * *

**A/N:**This is the longest chapter so far, ugh, my eyes burn. Natasha is finally coming out of that shell, whoo! Okay, so I have this head cannon that Natasha would be really good with kids. I'm not sure how it developed but it's firmly set in my head. Maybe its because of where she grew up and other reasons... But she still has those pesky trust issues, she won't reveal to much. Only what she has to. So what did y'all like about this chapter? Anything you see I could work on? Anything you want to _see_? Drop me a review and tell me what you thought.** ~BR**


	6. Chapter 6

**Burning Red**

The smell was more than over whelming when they arrived at the CDC. Decaying bodies of Walkers and people littered the grown all around them, flies hovering everywhere. Even for Natasha this was nearly too much. She could hear the children whimper slightly as the horrid smell hit their noses.

"Stay quiet. Let's go." Whispered Rick from the front of the group.

They walked with their noses and mouth covered, not wanting to breathe in the toxic air. Glenn looked as if he was about to either pass out or vomit; most likely both. Even Natasha's eyes burned and threatened to water.

"Okay, keep moving. Stay together." Rick rattles at the metal shutter doors when they get up there, it's a new edition. They didn't have those before.

"Nothing?" Shane asks as he begins pounding on the door.

"There's nobody here." T-Dog says in disbelief.

"Then why are these shutters down?" Rick shoots back refusing to give up.

"Walkers!" Daryl warns and readies his bow again shooting off one into the head of the closest approaching one. Natasha cocks her gun as do the rest of them. Sophia and Carl whimper again and squeeze tighter against their mothers.

"You led us into a grave yard!"

"It was the wrong damn call!" Daryl yells.

"Lower your voices," Natasha tells them as she surveys the front of the CDC building, looking for the power box. She can tell that the shutters are mechanically operated so that there would be operators on the inside and somewhere hidden on the outside in case of emergency. The problem was that they were always well hidden and even if you happened to find it and get it open the chances of actually getting _in_ were slim to none. But Natasha had worked in this building before; she knew the ins and outs. She worked undercover at the CDC for seventeen months. She knew how to operate and hack into the computer systems. Now she just hopes that everything was still the same here.

As the others bickered at each other and began panicking Natasha found the small box of wires and controls carefully and cleverly hidden in the wall between the shutter doors. It blended in nicely just as before. She crouches over it, using her elbow to knock of the case cover and lid. She'll admit that it causes more pain than she expected. The wires are expertly tangled and colored coded, she doesn't have enough time to sort through this and she begins to worries. The group is already becoming more rowdy by the minuet and full on darkness is approaching just as the Walkers are.

"Just shut up." Shane pushes Daryl back away from Rick. "You hear me? Shut up. Shut up! Rick, this is a dead end."

"Where are we gonna go?" Carol cries.

"Do you hear me? No blame."

"She's right. We can't be here, this close to the city after dark." Lori pulls Carl closer to her as she tries to hurry Rick on a decision.

Natasha picks a wire, removing it from its place carefully. When she pulls it out a light on the above the shutter flickers on for a short moment before going completely out. "Damn it."

"Red, what the hell are you doing?"

She ignores him and continues working, computers were always more her forte.

"Fort Benning, Rick—still an option."

"On what? No food, no fuel. That's one hundred miles." Lori tries to tear him away from the idea. She's smart enough to know that they would never make it and they have better chances finding a place for the night. More walkers would start coming soon enough, they didn't have much times or options. "Forget Fort Benning. We need answers tonight, now."

"We'll think of something." Rick tries to calm them.

"Come one let's go. Let's get out of here please."

Natasha hurries to push the front wire away so she can get to the back. She stares at it a moment, processing the situation to see if they can do anything else. But no, the wires in the back have all been severed and damaged, someone made sure that no one would be able to find a way in form the outside.

"The camera, it moved." Rick walks toward the camera quickly, trying to get a better look.

"You imagined it."

"It moved." He continues to insist."It moved."

"It's an automated device. It's gears, okay? They're just winding down. Now come on." Shane tries to convince him but Rick is having none of that and Natasha knows better.

"Someone's in there."

"Not you too, Red. We need to leave, _now_."

"I know you're in there. I know you can hear me. Please, we're desperate." His voice becomes strangled and rougher. Please help us. We have women and children. No food, hardly any gas left."

"Rick."

Natasha grabs onto his arm. There's no point to this, whoever may be in there fears too much to let them in. They need to get off the streets.

"There's no where left to go!" He pounds on the door and Lori does her best to try and pull him back. "If you don't let us in, you're killing us! You're killing us!"

Rick continues to call out at the person behind the camera as they drag him away. "Rick, we need to go! Stop this!"

There's a loud screech and they turn to see the shutters open, flooding the streets with light. The others can't seem to believe their eyes. They stare in shock for a moment, not know what quite they should do before the gears in their heads start turning again.

"Daryl, you cover the back." The rest of them with guns all fall into formation, the others without weapons are locked in the middle to keep them safe.

"Hello?" Rick calls out, his voice echoing through the abandon lobby space. "Hello?"

The sound of a gun being cocked draws their attention and they turn to see a man only lightly illuminated by the lights in the other room. "Anybody infected?"

"One of our group was. He didn't make it."

"Why are you here? What do you want?" The stranger asks them. His gun has lowered slightly but it still remains aimed towards them.

"A chance," Rick's voice has gone shaky again.

"That's asking an awful lot these days."

"I know."

Natasha watches him with a close eye as he looks them over. He doesn't hold the gun he has correctly and his stance is off. Even if someone who hasn't shot a gun in years will remember how to hold it. He is no real threat, at least not to Natasha. But that doesn't mean he won't be able to shoot.

"You all submit to a blood test." The man tells them, his voice firm and clear. He had some role of authority. "That's the price of admission."

"We can do that." Rick nods his head in agreement.

"You go stuff to bring in, you do it now. Once this door closes, it stays closed."

The others scramble to get their necessities and other supplies. Natasha stays, watching the man. She has nothing that really belongs to her but the close on her back and her weapons. They huddle back in, all following closely to the man. They end up an elevator going down. It's the quietest it had been since Natasha first got to this world. Sophia grabs onto her hand and squeezes. Natasha does the same in order to give her some comfort and reassurance.

"Doctors always go around packing heat like that?" Daryl asks from the back of the elevator.

"There were plenty left lying around. I familiarized myself. But you look harmless enough." Jenner turns and jokes before meeting Carl's shy stare. "Except you. I'll have to keep my eye on you."

Carl smiles and it eases the tension somewhat.

"Are we underground?"

"Are you claustrophobic?"

"A little," Carol answers, she does look even more hook up than before.

"Try not to think about it."

Great advice, she can almost hear Clint whisper in her ear. The thought sends a sharp pressure towards her gut, so she shakes her head lightly to try and clear her thoughts.

"Vi, bring up the lights in the big room." The lights flicker on in sequence, the room is then with the hums and beeps of computers. "Welcome to Zone Five."

The room is stark white and there no sign of other people in or around it. Odd, the CDC had always been filled with people working none stop. When Natasha had been on assignment hardly anyone had ever taken advantage of their breaks. A lot of people tended to work until they were about to pass out from exhaustion.

"Where is everybody? The other doctors, the staff?"

"I'm it. It's just me here." Jenner walks toward the middle of the room.

"What about the person you were speaking with? Vi?" Lori walks up to stand with her husband.

"Vi, say hello to our guest. Tell them…welcome." As soon as he says it a female computerized voice comes through the speakers. It repeats Jenner's commands exactly. Natasha remembered Vi but it had been a new program when they worked at the CDC. It had still been in beta mode. They had wanted to see how it fared and worked with commands. "I'm all that's left. I'm sorry."

* * *

**AN:** Hey guys, sorry took so long. Real Life caught up with me and I've a lot of final exams to worry about. Hoped you enjoyed this chapter, more to come soon.


	7. Chapter 7

**Burning Red  
**

Natasha had always hated getting her blood taken. She would never admit it out loud but needles made her skin crawl. She could handle them just fine on any other person but with her it was a different story. Maybe it was because of being constantly poked and prodded as a child and well into her late teens. There was always a price for perfection, even though she was still far from that. Joke's on them.

"What's the point?" She can hear Andrea asks the man. "If we were infected, we'd all be running a fever."

"I've already broken every rule in the book letting you in here. Let me at just be thorough." He releases the syringe and sets it down. "All done."

Andrea takes a few shaky steps after getting up before pausing. Her eyes are closed and she begins to breathe in and out her nose slowly.

"Are you all right?" Once a doctor always a doctor, it seems.

"She hasn't eaten in days. None of us have." Jacqui answers for her before leading Andrea over to sit down. A looks of sympathy and compassion comes over Jenner's face as he looks them all over.

"I'll fix something for all of you, after this." He picks up the blood samples and puts them away before turning back the group. "Come on, follow me."

Dr. Jenner treats them all to dinner and Natasha can see the almost normalcy return to the group, as if there wasn't flesh eating monsters outside their newfound sanctuary. However Natasha was trained to have a watchful eye; no movement is able to get past her. She sees the way Jenner moves cautiously around them and the way his body tells truths that he is not yet willing to spill. It's obvious to her that he is hiding something. The rest of the group cannot tell or are either to naive or tired to see.

Rick rises out of his chair and raises his glass of wine. "It seems we haven't thanked our host yet."

"He is more than just our host!" T-Dog calls out and the others agree in unison, clinking their glasses.

Before Natasha can get the chance to ask the questions that's been weighing over her head Shane beats her to it.

"So when are you going to tell us what the hell happened here, Doc?" The room begins to quiet down; all drawing their eyes between Jenner and Shane. "All the other doctors, where'd they all go? Aren't y'all supposed to be figuring out what happened? "

Rick puts his drink down and the hardships of the past few days began to show again. "We're celebrating, Shane. Don't need to do this now."

Natasha speaks up; she gets the feeling that they don't have time to wait around. "It's a good question, Rick. And an important one, it's the reason why we're here."

"Red's right, Rick. It's why we're here, right? For all the answers but we only found him, one man. Why?"

The group looks to Jenner again, now all curious and wondering the same questions Shane asked.

"Well, when things got bad, a lot of people just left, went off to be with their families. And when things got worse, when the military cordon got overrun, the rest bolted." Jenner explains.

"Every last one?"

"No, many couldn't face walking out the door. They…opted out." The realizations dawns on the group. "There was a rash of suicides. That was a bad time."

"You didn't leave." Andrea inquires. "Why?"

"I just kept working, hoping to do some good."

Glen sits back in his seat looking tired and sickly. "Dude, you are such a buzz kill, man."

Later on, after they've all finished eating, Jenner leads them to a place they can rest and set down their things. At the mention of hot water, the group becomes less tense and happier. The worry etched on their faces put away.

For awhile, Natasha just sits on her makes shift bed of a couch. For the first time since New York she feels truly weak and exhausted. Everything begins to crash down on her and she realizes that she doesn't know what to do. Or what she can do. She doesn't recognize Jenner and there is no one else at the CDC. She has no connections anymore as far as she knows. Lydia Bradley was the last SHEILD agent undercover at the CDC and now she was gone. Natasha feels unbelievably lost.

Natasha gets up; she can't stand thinking like that. It's not like her and she was trained not to think like that. But this wasn't a part of training either, this whole situation was nothing she was ever meant to deal with but then again neither was New York. So she stops thinking and opts to go looking for the showers, it will do good to clear her head.

When Natasha shuts off the water she can hear arguing from down the hall. The voices sound familiar, of a man and a woman. She dries off and dresses quickly. If it's who she thinks it is, Natasha knows they can't afford his hot-headedness to cause problems.

"And there was no way! Yeah, but then I had y'all to think about, didn't I? I had you and car; to think about."

"Okay! No no."

"That's what I had to do! Just stop." Natasha can hear the sound of a table being pushed across the tiled floor. She puts her hand on the door and readies herself to burst in.

"Shane, stop! Get your hands off me! Get your hands off me!" She can hear Lori cry out and Shane yelps.

Natasha pushes open the door hard enough for it to bounce off the wall. "Back the hell off, Shane."

It's quiet and Lori looks lost and scared.

"Go, Shane." Natasha orders.

He looks at Lori one last time before walking out the door, hitting it with his fist as he goes. Lori begins sobbing and looks likes she's on the verge of having a panic attack. Natasha walks over to her quickly but carefully. There's no need to frighten her anymore than she already is. She puts a comforting hand on her arm and leads her to the couch.

"Calm down and go to bed, Lori. It'll be alright. Catch your breath. It's okay."

Lori nods her and her sobs began to calm down. Natasha isn't really sure what to do but this seems like it might be enough.

Natasha is quiet; she can't afford to make a sound. She walks carefully, slow to make sure her steps don't make a noise in the dead of the night. The room is quiet and dark, everyone is asleep, even Jenner. It's the perfect time to make her move. She walks in front of the main computer, activating it. It takes only two tries for her to crack the password and hack into the system, within only a few minutes every piece of information and event recorded is before her.

She types hastily; she can't linger around for too long. No telling when someone might come along.

She sorts through the files, scanning over every detail until she finds what she needs. _Virus Z. (XZ*_), it reads. She reads the contents thoroughly and furrows her brow.

Virus Z. (XZ*) Report, Draft 3_**.**_1

7.3.10

_New theories on how Virus Z. have surfaced, there are still very few actual answers. After much pestering and pushing on our part, a breakthrough has finally provided some much needed answers._

_On the 16th of May, it is believed that a new strain that had mutated rapidly in only twelve months time was somehow released and exposed to Scott R. Green, Melissa J. King, Jon R. Jones, Henry D. Daniels, and Kari B. Docks, who had all been assigned to the strain. Within only a week of being exposed to the virus two of the five scientists had become severely sick and were emitted to the hospital by their family._

Subject One: Melissa J. King

_Melissa J. King was the first one emitted to the ER on May 27; her symptoms were less severe and treated as an unknown infection. King stayed in the hospital for the next four days where she became even more ill and aggressive. According to hospital records her skin had become clammy and leather like, her eyes began to yellow and her behavior changed dramatically. She refused to eat the food the hospital provided for her and demanded meat, nearly raw. Her behavior continued to become more erratic and dangerous to herself and others._

_On June 4th King attacked and gravely injured two nurses and a civilian to escape the hospital. King was not seen for three days, a series of suspicious attacks on civilians was brought to attention during the time she was missing. The civilians had been bitten and chunks of their flesh missing. One civilian would later die of infection and the other's status is still pending._

_After a wide spread search through Atlanta, King was found by two fishermen dead, her body had been floating under a dock and was already rapidly decomposing._

_After gaining permission from King's family, the CDC was allowed to take the body and examine it for further research. After many samples were taken from Kind's body, she was cremated. _

Subject Two: Henry D. Daniels

_Daniels was emitted to the hospital after his wife reportedly discovered he had a temperature of 104.5 f. After a week in the hospital Daniels fever and well-being had seemed to be back to normal circumstances, he was given antibiotics and sent home. Daniels was home for three days before his fever returned and he became aggressive towards his family, according to his wife and son. After Daniels attacked his wife and son, his family left the house. It is unknown what Daniels did during the two days he was alone. _

_When his wife returned to check up on him she discovered the inside of the home in dismay and packaged raw meet thrown about everywhere. She immediately called the police. Daniels was never found, his location was not been discovered and his body never came up. _

_It is still unknown whether Daniels is dead or alive. _

Other Members of the Virus Z. Team

_Scott R. Green, Jon R. Jones, and Kari B. Docks were put into quarantine when the connection between King and Daniels was discovered. Their blood had been infected with the virus. There treatment is still an ongoing project. Nothing so far had been successful. _

Natasha doesn't know what to think. This doesn't sound like anything she's ever heard of before, not with SHIELD and not when she was working at the CDC. Natasha hears a throat clear behind her and she spins around quickly, a hand reaching for her gun. She mentally berates herself. She hadn't been watching her surroundings. She was too absorbed in the report.

It's Jenner. He raises his glass of water to show he's not a threat. Natasha takes her hand off her gun.

"I thought I'd find you down here." He tells her as he walks down the stairs to the computers.

She's surprised. "Why is that?"

"You worked with my wife."

"Candace. Candace Jenner is your wife." She realizes.

"Was, she died. But before she died she told me about you and SHEILD. She told me that if I could get a hold of you somehow, you could help us. I tried and I tried but when I asked about SHEILD they just laughed."

"I'm sorry. Candace was a smart woman."

"You can't help us anymore, can you?"

It feels as if there is a lump in her throat. "I'm not really sure anymore."

Jenner sits down in the computer chair and sighs. "Yeah, I thought so."

"What happened to Candace?"

"Same thing that happened to everyone else out there. She got infected and waited to die. Then she did."

"How much time is left on the clock, Jenner?"

He looks up surprised and looks as if he's about to ask 'how' but shakes his head. "Less than twenty-four hours."

"Were you going to tell the group?"

"I don't know." Jenner looks older than he is now. "You're blood is clean you know. There's a pathogen or something, hell, I couldn't even properly identify it. And that may be the answer to this, but it doesn't matter now. It's too _late_."

Natasha sits down beside him for awhile, not saying a word.


End file.
